Retro Wednesday: The Two-Man Power Trip

It all started at WrestleMania 17. In one of the memorable moments in WWE history, Stone Cold Steve Austin aligned with his arch rival?Vince McMahon?to defeat the Rock and become WWE Champion. Austin's heel turn was unexpected, shocking, and puzzling to most.

The next night on Raw, Triple H confronted McMahon, confused at what happened the night before. Especially since McMahon sent Triple H to take out Austin, leading to a heated rivalry that culminated in a Three Stages of Hell match at No Way Out.

During the main event between The Rock and Steve Austin, Triple H charged down to the ring showing a great deal of frustration as a result of unsettled differences between himself, McMahon, and Austin. He approaches the ring with a sledgehammer, and gets face to face with Austin. The tension is at a fever pitch, and Triple H is ready to find answers for himself in the form of violence.

However, something different takes place. Triple H hits The Rock with the sledgehammer, pedigrees him, and celebrates with Austin. This forms the collective unit known as the Two-Man Power Trip.

Although the alliance was short-lived, they achieved more than what many other tag teams wish for their entire career. In a sheer stroke of power, Austin and Triple H monopolized all the major titles. Austin was WWE Champion, Triple H was Intercontinental Champion, and they became tag team champions by defeating the Brothers of Destruction at Backlash 2001.

Classic build. Classic era.

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